<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Hello David,<br></div>Exactly! I agree with Sonia. I know this kind of tools as being used by sailmakers in the Netherlands (mostly from Friesland) in the 17th-19th century (of course more or less similar objects might have been used before that but I do not have any example). They were made of bone or wood (and sometimes even ivory, like this one <a href="http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/indonesie_onafhankelijk_-_fotos_1947-1953/items/FSM01:J-062-E/&p=2&i=3&t=83&st=zeilmakerijen&sc=subject%20all%20%22zeilmakerijen%22/">http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/indonesie_onafhankelijk_-_fotos_1947-1953/items/FSM01:J-062-E/&p=2&i=3&t=83&st=zeilmakerijen&sc=subject%20all%20%22zeilmakerijen%22/</a> ).<br>
</div><div>There was an important (hennep) sailmaking industry in the villages of Krommenie and Assendelft (a bit north west of Amsterdam) and I am doing some research on bones that were found at different sites there that were probably used to smoothen the seams in sails. Those have different shapes than the ones above though, might be some local variation / adjustment to a specific way of working. But doing that research I came across several sail smoothers that resemble yours, as Sonia posted.<br>
</div><div>Regards,<br></div><div>Annabel Médard</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 11:32 AM, S O'Connor <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:S.Oconnor@bradford.ac.uk" target="_blank">S.Oconnor@bradford.ac.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-GB"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Dear David,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">I have seen objects just like this in cetacean bone and wood, but of much more recent origin. These are sailmakers tools for smoothing seams in sails and are sometimes called seam rubbers.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">See Hull Museums Collections <a href="http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=seam+smoother&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0&SearchSubmit=Search&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any" target="_blank">http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/search-results/resultsoverview.php?keywordsorig=&titleorig=&personorig=&placeorig=&dateorig=&materialorig=&accessionnumberorig=&collectionorig=&museumorig=&keywords=seam+smoother&SearchSubmit.x=0&SearchSubmit.y=0&SearchSubmit=Search&title=&person=&place=&date=&material=&accessionnumber=&collectionall=all&museumall=all&location=any</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">If this URL does not work go to <a href="http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/" target="_blank">http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollections/collections/</a> and search on seam smoother.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">All the best,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Sonia<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Dr Sonia O'Connor </span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">PhD FSA FIIC ACR Honorary Visiting Fellow, University of York</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Post-doctoral Research Fellow<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Archaeological Sciences<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Division of AGES,  <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">University of Bradford<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">tel 01274 23 6498 (office) 5210 (lab)<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:72.0pt">
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">fax 01274 23 5210<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<div><div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"" lang="EN-US"> Bonetools [mailto:<a href="mailto:bonetools-bounces@listserv.niif.hu" target="_blank">bonetools-bounces@listserv.niif.hu</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Dave Constantine<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 16 June 2014 09:40<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:bonetools@listserv.niif.hu" target="_blank">bonetools@listserv.niif.hu</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [Bonetools] "linen smoother"?<u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
</div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">Hello,<u></u><u></u></span></p></div>
<div><div class="h5"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"> <u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">I was forwarded the attached image by a friend who had seen this object in Lincoln Museum where I believe it was labelled as a “Linen smoother”. They asked if I had ever come across anything similar as they thought linen smoothers are normally glass slickers. Having never seen anything like it I thought I would pop it up here to ask if any of you have come across an item like this. It is dated as “Anglo-Saxon” and is approximately "5” long (about 125mm)<u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black"><br>Regards,<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black">David Constantine<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>